News & Views

News & Views Take nature’s pulse in the Big Butterfly Count

The Big Butterfly Count (15th July to 7th August) is a UK-wide survey aimed at helping the Butterfly Conservation charity assess the health of the environment by counting the amount and type of butterflies.

According to the Butterfly Conservation charity, counting butterflies is essential because they play a vital part of the ecosystem as both pollinators and components of the food chain. The data gathered by the public will be used to assess where conservation efforts should be targeted.

Taking part in the Count is easy: just spend fifteen minutes counting the butterflies you see and then submit sightings online or via the free app. There’s also a handy free downloadable butterfly chart to use.

More info: www.bigbutterflycount.org

One in ten parents ‘very likely’ to use food bank

Nearly one in ten parents are ‘very likely’ to use a food bank to feed their children over the next three months, a survey has found.

It means that as many as 1.3 million parents are expecting to have to visit a food bank as families struggle to cope with rising costs of living, with eighty eight percent of those surveyed admitting their monthly food bill has increased in the past three months alone.

The Trussell Trust research, carried out with the food delivery company Deliveroo, also found that a third of parents skipped at least one meal to keep up with other costs and fifty eight percent said they had cut back on heating as a result.

Reference: www.theguardian.co.uk

2022 Summer Reading Challenge - Gadgeteers

The Summer Reading Challenge encourages children ages 4 to 11 to read six library books during the long summer holiday and collect rewards, such as stickers, on their way to receiving their challenge certificate and medal.

Children’s reading can decline during the holidays if they don’t have regular access to books or encouragement to read for pleasure.

This year’s science-themed challenge called ‘Gadgeteers’ will inspire children to discover the amazing science and innovation behind the world around you. The Challenge will launch in libraries in England on 9th July. More info: www.summerreadingchallenge.org.uk

Mental health referrals surge

Referrals to child mental health units from UK primary schools for pupils ages 11 and under have risen by nearly fifty percent in three years, according to data obtained by the BBC.

Replies to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from forty six health trusts indicate they rose from 21,125 to 31,531.

Seven trusts said they had rejected an individual pupil for treatment at least five times over the last four years.

‘These figures are deeply worrying and build on evidence which shows emotional disorders in children have increased in recent years,’ said Dr Bernadka Dubicka, chairwoman of the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. ‘The government’s aim to provide mental health support in all schools within the next ten years will be too little, too late for many children who need that help now’ she added.

Perfect age gap between siblings revealed

At least two years is the ideal gap to leave between siblings to foster intelligence, according to new research from the University of Notre Dame.

Children older than their younger brother or sister by two or more years were found to do better on maths and reading tests than those born closer together.

Experts believe this is because parents can spend longer with their eldest child, before a sibling comes along to divert their attention.

‘There are only so many hours in the day and the longer the period when a child is the only child, the more investment they’re going to receive,” explained Professor Kasey Buckles, who led the study.

Looking at the data from three thousand mums with five thousand sibling pairs, Professor Kasey found that when aged between 3 and 5, those siblings with a bigger age gap were read to more and watched less television.

EMBARK ON A JOURNEY WITH THE FESTIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY

The UK’s biggest archaeological event, the Festival of Archaeology runs from 16th to 31st July and this year’s theme is ‘journeys’.

Through nationwide digital and on-site events, archaeological experts will help families discover how their local landscape has changed and shaped to become what it is now, as well as discover exciting stories about their local community.

Join educational guided walks, listen to talks, get involved with exciting archaeological excavations, or join digitally online through social media and discover more about your local area.

More info: festival.archaeologyuk.org

Summer in the Alps

The Alps may be an obvious destination for the ski season, but how about a summer visit? Summer offers enough green (the mountains) and blue (the sky) to set you up for the whole year - and plenty of fresh air to fill your families’ lungs.

With reasonably priced flights from London airports to Geneva then a short drive to Morzine, there is a warm welcome waiting from Paul and Francesca Eyre at Chilly Powder. With the main chalet - Au Coin du Feu - plus two chalets next door, you can organise your own meals, or join the party at ‘Au Coin du Feu’ for dinners that you usually only dream of. Family friendly early evening meals for the children and a daytime crèche for little ones not quite as active as you, with drinks in the bar for the grown ups – or in the Jacuzzi on the terrace – Paul and Francesca will make you wish that this was home!

For more about Chilly Powder chalets for summer and winter visit www.chillypowder.com and more about summer in Morzine visit www.morzine-avoriaz.com/activites-de-plein-air-ete

News & Views SLEEP PROBLEMS AFFECT READING ABILITY

New research published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology suggests that sleep problems may negatively affect children’s reading ability.

In the study published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology that included 339 ages 4 to 14 years, parents were asked to complete questionnaires about their children’s sleep, while the children completed a test of word reading efficiency.

Children whose parents reported increased sleep-disordered breathing, daytime sleepiness and a short time for their children to fall asleep (which is generally associated with increased tiredness) had poorer performance on reading tasks.

‘Being a good reader is a strong predictor of academic success and improved life outcomes, so we recommend screening children with sleep problems for reading difficulties and children with reading difficulties for sleep problems,’ said corresponding author Anna Joyce, PhD, MSc, of Regent’s University London.

Year 5 previews inspiring Summer Exhibition at St Mary’s School

Year 5 St Mary’s students were recently treated to a special preview of our GCSE and A Level Art and Photography Summer Exhibition at Studio 47, our Visual Arts Centre. This exhibition showcased our spectacular student work from throughout the year, as well as our specialist art facilities. The students enjoyed a first look at the display and the whole studio to themselves to investigate and view the artwork.

After a tour of the exhibition and talks by the art teachers, the students tried a continuous line workshop, exploring how important the use of line is in art and how it can communicate visually. One Year 5 student commented, ‘I enjoyed the continuous line workshop, and the artwork we saw in the exhibition was very inspiring. I’d like to come again to see it’.

At St Mary’s, we are proud not only of the high standard of our students’ academic work, but of how they act as role models, inspiring the whole school community.

Find out how St Mary’s can encourage your daughter at our Open Day on 1st October. Follow this link to sign up: stmaryscambridge. co.uk/visit-us

THE PLACE TO BE